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Undergraduate Level Teacher Licensure Programs
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Note: If admitted prior to Jan 1, 2008, information will be coming soon.
TEACHER EDUCATON PROGRAMS IN
EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
ELEMENTARY EDUCATION
SECONDARY EDUCATION
SPECIAL EDUCATION
The teacher education program at the University of Utah prepares pre-service candidates with evidence-based knowledge and skills through an extensive professional education core that leads to one of six teaching specializations: early childhood education, early childhood special education, elementary education, special education k-12 (with endorsements in mild/moderate disabilities, severe disabilities, hearing impairments or visual impairments), and secondary education (with endorsement in interdisciplinary math or science education or other content disciplines). The teacher program is designed to effectively prepare teacher candidates to work with students across various age and ability levels, and from diverse cultural, linguistic, and socioeconomic backgrounds. As a professional development program in a research intensive university located in an area that is experiencing rapidly changing student and family demographics, a major focus is preparing candidates to be culturally competent and responsive professionals in an urban setting.
Teacher education reflects the vision of the University of Utah to attract and retain a diverse faculty of the highest quality who understand and communicate the importance of an inter-relationship among research, teaching, and professional service. Faculty and staff have the desire and responsibility to provide teacher candidates mentoring, coursework, and field experiences that are rigorous and relevant for successful careers in the field of education.
Using a three-tier model of instruction, teacher candidates are provided with the progress monitoring tools needed for data-based decisions in terms of selecting, using, and adapting instruction. As recognized by the Utah State Office of Education (2006), the model focuses on “the use of data to guide instruction, appropriate intervention and practice, parent involvement, and other research-based practices. The three tiers are described below (USOE, 2006; Vaughn, Bos, & Schumm, 2007),
· Tier I: Core instruction. Tier I focuses on core classroom instruction that is provided to all students using evidence-based (scientifically-based) practices to teach the critical elements within a core curriculum. The general education teacher in conjunction with a school-wide support team (such as special education teachers, speech language professional, paraeducators, and school psychologists) provides instruction to students who are at various levels of development in critical skills. Most students will demonstrate proficiency with effective Tier I instruction. These students are able to acquire skills through the core (standard) instruction provided by the teacher, whereas others require more intensive instruction in specific skill areas. Using flexible grouping, universal design for learning and targeting specific skills classroom teachers in conjunction with the school-wide support team often able to meet the needs of most of the students.
· Tier II: Supplemental Instruction. Tier II provides supplemental targeted instruction in addition to evidence-based practices taught at the Tier I level. For some students, core classroom instruction in the general classroom is not enough for them to demonstrate proficiency. These students require targeted supplemental instruction in addition to the skills taught through core instruction. Tier II meets the needs of these students by giving them additional time for intensive small-group instruction daily. The goal is to support and reinforce skills being taught by the general education teacher and support team at the Tier I level. At this level of intervention, data-based monitoring is used to ensure adequate progress is being made on target skills. Tier II instruction may be provided by the general education teacher, a teacher specialist in a content area(s), special education teacher or another teacher/paraeducator. It is estimated that about 10 to 15% of students in a classroom will require Tier II instruction. The frequency, intensity, and duration of this instruction vary for each student depending on the assessment and progress monitoring data.
· Tier III: Intensive Instruction. A small number of students who receive targeted supplemental instruction (Tier II) continue to have difficulty becoming proficient in necessary content skills. Tier III provides intensive targeted instruction to the most at-risk learners who have not adequately responded to evidence-based practices in Tiers I and II. These students require instruction that is more explicit, more intensive, and specifically designed to meet their individual needs. Additional sessions of specialized one-to-one or small-group instruction are provided with progress monitoring of specific skills. At the Tier III level, instruction is extended over a longer period of time and its form varies based on student assessment and progress monitoring data. Instruction at this level may be provided by the general education teacher, teacher specialists in a content area(s), special education teacher or another teacher/paraeducator. Movement through the tiers is a dynamic process, with students entering and exiting each level of instruction as needed. Once a student acquires the target skills, he or she may no longer require supplemental instruction.
The key components of the three-tier model are (1) the use of evidence-based instruction designed to meet the needs of students at each level, and (2) assessment and progress monitoring procedures that measure current skills and growth over time and that are used to provide new instruction to individual students. The three-tier model provides a system that is responsive to students’ changing needs.
Guiding Principles in the Design of the Teacher Education Program
Principle 1. Teacher education is grounded in the knowledge and skills consistent with research-validated and replicable instructional practice. Teacher candidates learn instructional approaches, methods, and techniques that are research-validated and effective with students who have diverse needs, and can be implemented successfully in a collaborative classroom setting. The program has established content standards based on the specific knowledge and skills expected of new teachers as well as performance standards describing how they will demonstrate mastery prior to recommendation for a Level I teaching license in the state of Utah.
Principle 2. Teacher candidates are prepared to be culturally competent and responsible professionals with a common vision of teaching and learning that affirms a diverse, multicultural society. Teacher candidates are socialized to approach teaching from a socio-cultural perspective founded on the principles of social justice. They view each student as a learner with unique educational needs. Race/ethnicity, disability, social class, and language strongly and positively influence each candidate’s approach to teaching and learning. Teacher candidates view themselves as agents for change, responsible for ensuring that higher and public education are more responsive to students from diverse backgrounds.
Principle 3. There is a coordinated effort within the College of Education in partnership with university colleagues and public education to develop and implement a professional education core for teacher candidates that serves as a foundation for further preparation in a teaching specialization.
Through coursework and field experiences, teacher candidates acquire a common core of knowledge and skills designed to ensure educational programs and services are accessible and applicable to every student, regardless of ability, cultural background, or learning style. The core is grounded in the three-tier model of instruction, universal design for learning and evidence- based practice as a foundation for further preparation in a teaching specialization.
Principle 4. Teachers are prepared to understand and use an integrated curriculum model that threads arts education, instructional technology, diversity and inclusive education throughout coursework and field experiences.
The integrated curriculum model provides the knowledge and skills to teach children how to learn and explore information in more than one subject area at a time and across content disciplines. Content, such as arts education and reading/literacy are integrated and applied as thematic areas. Teacher candidates learn to organize subject matter by bring various aspects of the curriculum into meaningful association. Teaching and learning are viewed in a holistic way and reflect an interactive real world.
Principle 5. Coursework is directly linked to early and continuous field experiences in classroom and school settings.
Teacher candidates continuously demonstrate the knowledge and skills learned in coursework in actual classroom and school settings. Field experiences are viewed as an extension of university courses in which students translate research and theory into practice. Faculty and school district/agency cooperating teachers regularly observe, evaluate, and provide feedback to teacher candidates regarding their classroom performance. Each candidate's performance is evaluated in regard to (a) measurable gains in applying knowledge and skills from coursework, and (b) whether students with whom the candidate is working learn the content.
Principle 6. Teachers are socialized to be consumers of research-based practice and the expectation of continuous professional development.
To be effective, teachers must be able to keep pace with research-based developments in curriculum design, instruction, behavior support, and program management. Teacher candidates are taught to be critical consumers of research and use it to inform their practice.
Close partnerships with schools are developed to improve the quality and effectiveness of the teacher education program. At the heart of these partnerships is the development of shared views about the design of educational programs and services for students and the importance of continuous professional development. University faculty collaborate with schools to establish initiatives that address the challenges facing today's schools, including innovative and efficient ways to prepare, mentor, and retain highly effective teachers. Concurrently, schools rely on university faculty expertise to develop and disseminate research-based practices.
Principle 7. The teacher education program is accountable for the quality and impact of its graduates.
The teacher education program continuously evaluates the quality and impact of its preparation by measuring graduates’ mastery of professional competencies over time. The faculty engage with the schools in a joint preparation, mentoring and evaluation process that begins at the time the teacher candidate enters the initial licensure program, continues during an induction period of no less than three years, and is maintained throughout the teacher's career. The University of Utah continuously measures how effectively graduates are prepared to successfully fill entry level roles. Faculty are also accountable for how effectively they collaborate with schools to mentor and support new teachers, as well as their efforts to systematically follow-up with graduates. Continuous evaluation of program graduates is critical to identifying the elements of the teacher education program that adequately prepare teachers for their professional roles. These data are used to improve the teacher education program and assist the faculty in identifying additional knowledge and skills that are needed in order to respond to the changing and complex needs of teachers in classrooms/schools.
Key Elements of the Undergraduate Teacher Education Program
The key elements of the undergraduate teacher education program at the University of Utah include:
1: General Education and Bachelor of Science Degree Requirements
2. A Professional Education Core of Knowledge and Skills Leading to One or More Teaching Specializations
3. Teaching Specializations in Early Childhood Special Education, Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education, Special Education (Mild/Moderate Disabilities, Severe Disabilities, Hearing Impairments and Vision Impairments), or Secondary Education (Interdisciplinary Math or Science and Other Content Disciplines)
General Education and Bachelor of Science Degree Requirements. A Bachelor of Science Degree with a teaching major at the University of Utah includes general education coursework, upper division Bachelor of Science Degree requirements, and a teaching major that include a lower and upper division professional education core culminating in a teaching major with licensure.
The purpose of the general education requirements is to instill in students an appreciation for the acquisition of the knowledge, skills and perspectives that constitute the foundation of college and life-long learning, responsible and rewarding professional service, personal development, and civic responsibility. General education promotes free and rational inquiry, critical thinking, creative expression, understanding and respect for diversity, intellectual integrity and social responsibility. The four major areas within the general education requirements include:
· Intellectual Exploration (IE) for Education Majors. Traditional areas of university inquiry that include fine arts, physical/life science, social behavioral science)
· Lower division Writing (WR) Ensures students develop the rhetorical skills necessary for success in the writing assignments intrinsic in college courses.
· American Institutions (AI) Students develop an understanding of fundamentals of history and the principles and form of government and economic system of the United States. Ensure that students have a minimal basis for responsible citizenship.
· Quantitative Reasoning (QA and QB or QA/QB) Quantitative reasoning prepares students for an information-based society in which the ability to use and critically evaluate information, especially numerical information, is central to the role requirements of an informed citizen.
The major areas within the upper division Bachelor’s Degree requirements include:
· Communication/Writing (CW) Prepares students to speak and write clearly within the standards of practice set by the discipline. It provides students advanced instruction in speaking and writing so that those skills continue to develop throughout the educational program.
· Diversity (DV) This requirement extends cross-cultural understanding, replacing the impulse to stereotype, with better informed reasoning, understanding, and judgment skills. Develops and teaches ways of thinking drawn from multiple histories and cultural heritages that shape the United States.
· Quantitative Intensive (QI) Promotes further development of quantitative reasoning skills; a deeper understanding of the particular subject matter; and substantial application of quantitative, analytical problem-solving.
Professional Education Core. The professional education core is intended to develop a common understanding of the goals and purposes of schooling, knowledge and skills to meet the educational needs of all students in urban schools, collaboration across educators in a school-wide support system, and the use of evidence-based instruction leading to advanced skills in one or more teaching specializations. INTASC calls for a cross-disciplinary core in which every teacher candidate develops understanding of content and content-specific pedagogy. Using the INTASC framework and its principles for student-centered learning, the teacher education program incorporates the following content domains:
· Child, Adolescent, and Human Development
· Ethnic Studies, Multicultural/Multilingual Education, and Effective Instructional Approaches for English Language Learners
· Foundations of Exceptionality and Effective Instruction for Students with Disabilities in Inclusive Classrooms
· Research and Inquiry in Education
· Principles of Assessment and Data-Based Decision-Making
· Behavior Support
· Communication and Language Development
· Reading and Writing Foundations and Methods
· Math Foundations and Methods
· Integrating Arts Education into Academic Learning
· Using Technology in Diverse Classrooms
· Education Law and Policy for Classroom Teachers
· Safe Schools, Character Education, and Professional Ethics
· International Education
Teaching Majors with Licensure:
· Early Childhood Special Education (birth to age five)
· Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Education (pre-k through grade 3)
· Elementary Education (emphasizes grades 1 through 6) (actual State licensure is grades 1-8)
· Special Education (mild/moderate disabilities, severe disabilities, hearing impairments, vision impairments) (grades k through 12)
· Interdisciplinary Math or Science (grades 7 through 12)
· Secondary Education in the Content Disciplines (grades 7 through 12)